


Apostles of Faith and Science

by nautilusrose



Category: Code:Realize ～創世の姫君～ | Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Post-Finis Route, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 14:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15665388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nautilusrose/pseuds/nautilusrose
Summary: Saint has tea with the whackjob scientist working in his garden, and reminisces about how this isn't their first meeting. No, he had seen Nemo before this, before the Nautilus, before Cardia. It was in a place far, far from London...





	Apostles of Faith and Science

“Oh? How strange to see you out and about.”

The Count of Saint-Germain places his teacup down on the wrought iron table before taking a seat.

The Count’s pleasant introduction doesn’t stop the noise caused by Nemo grinding his metallic teeth. He’s hunched over papers sprawled out in some form of organization that clearly only makes sense to the reader.

“It would’ve been soooo much easier if my masterpiece wasn’t sent into the sky! Royal support or no royal support, re-creating that hull will beeeeee…”

Nemo gropes along the table for his own cup, unable to pull his eyes away from the diagrams before him.

Saint gives a light sigh before gently pushing the scientist’s cup towards him.

Nemo freezes at the movement before looking over at Saint.

“Good afternoon,” Saint’s smile is pleasant. “As I was saying, it’s a surprise to see you out and about. Did Her Majesty grant you permission to assist Impey with his submersible?”

“Aaaaa….”

Saint can spy Nemo’s eye twitching underneath his goggle.

“A—Apostleeee… of Ideaaaaa….”

Saint sits back, his smile not moving. “Oh, I wonder how you found out about that? I suppose the topic came up while Miss Cardia was in the Nautilus...”

Nemo slams his fists on the table. “’HOW’ DOESN’T MATTER IN THIS CASE! WHAT MATTERS IS YOOOOOOOOU!! YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE BLASPHEMOUS ORGANIZATION THAT WAS THE PROFESSOR’S GREATEST ENEMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”

Saint plucks up Nemo’s cup of tea before the rattling could make it fall over. The motion is so quick that Nemo falls back in his chair, his eyes so wide that his goggles slump down his nose.

“Idea has been called many things…” Saint’s voice is still calm and quiet despite Nemo’s passionate outcry. “But ‘blasphemous’… what an interesting accusation. Surely you know that the Apostles believe we are the ones stopping the world from treading the path of blasphemy.”

Nemo points a finger at Saint. “What you are doing is stopping the world from treading the glooooorious path of science! Selfishly trying to keep the raaaaaaaadiance of knowledge contained is the greatest form of blasphemy there is! How! Dare! YOOOOOU!!”

Saint sits back down, now holding one cup of tea in each hand. He’s still smiling, clearly unintimidated by the screeching scientist fate has sat before him once again. What an amusing situation! Best to make the best of this opportunity. All work and no play, after all…

“Blasphemy, the act of cursing God Himself… so, then, to you blasphemy is the act of cursing science. Won’t you explain it to me?”

Nemo fixes his goggles and hesitantly takes back his teacup from the Count. He’s surprisingly quiet, contemplating as he idly stirs his tea (despite the fact that he had put in neither cream nor sugar).

No one’s really asked him to clarify it before. This scenario is so different from usual that, for once, Nemo isn’t sure how to begin. Where does the magnificence of science begin, after all?

Saint decides to offer a little assistance.

“Humanity often turns to God for comfort. Perhaps “science” is the comfort that you found? Is that where you have put your faith?”

Ah! Yes, that’s right! Nemo smiles brightly.

“Of coooooooooooouuuurse! Science is the incubator of my heart, the cocoon that envelops me and protects me as I tread this bleak woooorld! I was forged in its flames and reboooooooorn as an ardent disciple, yes, I am an Apostle of my own faiiiiiiiiiiiiiiith! Like a phoenix I rose from the aaaaaaaaaaashes of unenlightenment to take my place as the world’s most devoooooted scientist!”

‘Phoenix’ is a rather grandiose description, but Saint can see why he would make use of that simile.

Saint looks over his tea time partner as he strikes a pose just as grandiose as his speech. He couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a certain smugness in Nemo’s words, a hint to a past that he’s certain Saint could know nothing about.

The edges of Saint’s lips twitch with quiet laughter. As much fun as it would be to prove Nemo wrong, the truth might make his mind fragment even more.

Remembering that, Saint’s smile falters and fades for only a moment.

Nemo was reborn by science. But Saint knows just how close he was to being reborn at the hands of Idea.

The young revolutionary trying to stand up against a power-hungry empire, a prince wielding the hopes and dreams of his country like a blade.

But that blade wasn’t strong enough to cut down the technology that rained upon his people.

Yes, the flames of science had forged him, but forging does not create—it changes.

And oh, how that prince had changed.

_“Everything I loved… cherished…. venerated…”_

_Saint remembers standing nearby, watching as the prince fell to his knees and wept beside unrecognizable corpses, charred by explosions and chemicals. Science at its mightiest and its worst._

_“All swept away by this… this… power…”_

_Saint watched for a long time. This is how it always played out: death, weeping, cursing. Then Idea would come to grant their wish._

_However—_

_“Everything I hate… everything I hate should be there--! So why…”_

_Saint narrowed his eyes. This mourning was different. This was a man sobbing hysterically over the corpses of his family, and yet Saint couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Off, and not in a way that Idea could use._

_“Why… no… how? How did this happen? What caused this? What is it? How does it all work?”_

_The prince staggered to his feet, looking away from his dead family to the broken walls of his home and fires burning from weaponry he couldn’t even begin to comprehend._

_“Won’t someone…. won’t someone tell me? Won’t someone… show me? What is this… power?”_

_Saint closed his eyes._

_The prince’s mind had buckled under the horrors piled upon it until it shattered under the awful weight._

_Even if Saint, even if any Apostle had chosen to greet him, their words wouldn’t reach past the fragments swimming in his head._

_Instead of cursing the gods or seeking revenge, the prince chose to pursue that power. He was certain in his heart that it was the only thing that could lift him from his helplessness._

_But Saint thought it was sad how he walked away from the remains of those that loved him._

Saint could tell Nemo how he had said a blessing for his family, how he had left a sprig of lavender to calm their souls as they went on their journey.

But he doesn’t, instead merely taking a sip of his tea. It tastes bitter, somehow. Perhaps it’s the company.

“Are you even liiiiistening? I should have known that a blasphemous man like you wouldn’t be able to appreciate my genius!”

Saint looks back at Nemo, the calm smile returning to his face.

“I was just thinking about faith. I suppose I found your devotion to science moving, in its own strange way.”

“Of coooourse it’s moving! I’m an inspiration to any who are lucky enough to hear me!!” Nemo sticks his nose in the air indignantly.

“Then I sincerely hope we never have to meet as Apostles,” there’s laughter in Saint’s voice despite the subject.

“Hmmm?” Nemo frowns. “No, noooo I do not share that hope with you.”

Saint’s eyes slowly open.

“If an Apostle of Idea reveals themselves to me, then it will truly mean that I am at the same level as my beloved Professor Isaac,” Nemo continues. “Then I will know that my destiny is at hand—my destiny to surpass him, and show the truths of the world to all---!! Apostle, when that time comes I will welcome you with open aaaaarms! …And greet you with all of the science that I adore…”

Both Saint and Nemo laugh, a strange mingling of amusement and bitterness.

“Well then,” says Saint. “To when we meet as Apostles of Faith and Science!”

Their teacups clink.


End file.
